Lionel Grigson
Encyclopedia
Lionel Grigson was a British
jazz pianist, cornettist and teacher
. He was educated at Dartington Hall School and at King's College, Cambridge
University. His father was the critic and poet Geoffrey Grigson
and his first wife was the publisher Margaret Busby.
In the late 1960s he led a quintet with Pete Burden that included Tony Levin
and Daryl Runswick
. Musician and songwriter Tom Norris
also performed in the jazz quintet with Grigson. Grigson was in the original line-up of the jazz rock/fusion group If
, and a composition on their second album If 2
is by Busby/Grigson.
Grigson was for ten years Professor of Piano and Improvisation at London's Guildhall School of Music (1983–93).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
jazz pianist, cornettist and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. He was educated at Dartington Hall School and at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
University. His father was the critic and poet Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson was a British writer. He was born in Pelynt, a village near Looe in Cornwall.-Life:...
and his first wife was the publisher Margaret Busby.
In the late 1960s he led a quintet with Pete Burden that included Tony Levin
Tony Levin (drummer)
Tony Levin was an English jazz drummer.Levin played at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in the 1960s with artists including Joe Harriott, Al Cohn, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Zoot Sims, and Toots Thielemanns....
and Daryl Runswick
Daryl Runswick
Daryl Runswick is a classically trained English composer, arranger, musician, producer and educationalist.He started playing bass with leading UK jazz musicians in the mid-60s, including Dick Morrissey and John Dankworth, with whom he would tour and compose for extensively for some 12 years...
. Musician and songwriter Tom Norris
Tom Norris (musician)
Tom Norris is an English musician, composer, ensemble leader and songwriter who plays classical violin with the London Symphony Orchestra and also manages a solo pop music career.-Life:...
also performed in the jazz quintet with Grigson. Grigson was in the original line-up of the jazz rock/fusion group If
If (band)
If was a progressive rock band formed in Britain in 1969.Referred to by Billboard as "unquestionably the best of the so-called jazz-rock bands", in the period spanning 1970-1975, they produced 8 studio-recorded albums and did some 17 tours of Europe, the US and Canada.-History:They toured...
, and a composition on their second album If 2
If 2
If 2 is the second release by the English Jazz rock band If. It was released as a vinyl LP in 1970 and re-issued as a CD in 2006 on Repertoire Records with liner notes by UK music critic Chris Welch....
is by Busby/Grigson.
Grigson was for ten years Professor of Piano and Improvisation at London's Guildhall School of Music (1983–93).
Discography
- 1965: Western Reunion - New Jazz OrchestraNew Jazz Orchestra- Origins and members :The NJO was the offspring of a popular weekend jazz club which had its home at 'The Green Man' pub on Blackheath SE3, where the 'house' band was the Ian Bird Quintet - Origins and members :The NJO was the offspring of a popular weekend jazz club which had its home at 'The...
: Neil ArdleyNeil ArdleyNeil Richard Ardley was a prominent English jazz pianist and composer, who also made a name as the author of more than 100 popular books on science and technology, and on music.-Brief biography:...
; Bob Leaper, Mike Phillipson, and Tony Dudley on trumpets; Ian CarrIan CarrIan Carr was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.-Early years:Carr was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr...
on trumpet and flugelhorn; Mick Palmer on French horn; John Mumford and Paul RutherfordPaul RutherfordPaul Rutherford is the former backing vocalist, dancer and occasional keyboardist with 1980s pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood , one of the group's two openly gay singers....
on trombones; Peter Harvey on bass trombone; Dick Hart on tuba; Les Carter on flutes; Trevor WattsTrevor WattsTrevor Charles Watts is an English jazz and free-improvising alto and soprano saxophonist. He is largely self-taught, having taken up the cornet at age 12 then switched to saxophone at 18. While stationed in Germany with the RAF , he encountered the drummer John Stevens and trombonist Paul...
on alto sax and flute; Barbara ThompsonBarbara ThompsonBarbara Gracey Thompson MBE is an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. She studied clarinet, flute, piano and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone...
on alto sax; Dave Gelly and Tom Harris on tenor saxophones; Sebastian Freudenberg on baritone sax; Mike Barrett on piano; Tony Reeves on bass; Jon HisemanJon HisemanJon Hiseman is an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher.-Career:...
on drums; and Lionel Grigson on piano.
Publications
- Practical Jazz: Step-by-step Guide to Harmony and Improvisation (Stainer & Bell, 1988)
- Jazz from Scratch: How to improvise on great jazz classics (Faber, with a foreword by Miles KingtonMiles KingtonMiles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...
; 1991) - A Jazz Chord Book (Jazzwise, 3rd edition 1995)
- A Charlie Parker Study Album (Novello, 1989)
- A Louis Armstrong Study Album (Novello, 1992)
- A Thelonious Monk Study Album (Novello, 1993)
- Wonders of the World (foreword by Cliff Michelmore; Newnes, 1985)